Delegation of the European Union to Syria

07/01/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/01/2024 09:32

HRC56 Interactive Dialogue on OHCHR report on new and emerging technologies EU Statement

United Nations Human Rights Council

56th session

Interactive Dialogue on OHCHR report on new and emerging technologies

1 July 2024

EU statement

Mr. President,

The European Union thanks the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights for the insightful mapping of the work done by the UN human rights system in the field of human rights and new technologies.

We concur with the reports´ main finding: The international human rights framework fully applies to the digital space and provides all the guardrails required to maximise the benefits of digital technologies. The existing protection gaps result from inadequate implementation rather than a lack of established obligations and responsibilities for States and businesses.Hence our strong support the OHCHRs role in mainstreaming human rights in the context of new technologies.

The EUpromotes a human-centric, human rights-based, inclusive, and development-oriented digital transformation and advocates for a multi-stakeholder, inclusive approach to internet governance. A human-rights based approach to the whole life-cycle of new and emerging technologies, including AI systems, is needed to ensure these technologies serve humanity and contribute to sustainable development.

The EU encourages states and other stakeholders to seek technical assistance and supports the OHCHRs recommendation to expand the Offices' work on implementation, including via a dedicated service to provide advice to member states and businesses. We also fully concur with the finding that efforts must be strengthened to ensure that human rights are fully considered across all relevant policy areas.

What additional steps can be taken to mainstream a human-rights approach to areas such as standard-setting, e-commerce, intellectual property, peace and security or cybercrime and how can the OHCHR support these efforts?